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30 travel news February 2013
February 2013 travel news 31
coastal currents
duncan mitchell
Duncan Mitchell is a retired gentleman
who lives on Kenya's north coast at Vipingo
Ridge. His twin passions are his partner
Jane, and golf.
Many years ago, when living in Singapore,
the mosquitoes were so bad around our
house that I took the plunge and phoned
Singapore's Mosquito Control Board. No
sooner had I replaced the receiver than
there was a squeal of brakes and a van
emblazoned, 'Mosquito Control' roared
up to our gate. Star Wars-type troopers,
replete with overalls, facemasks and
fogging-hoses attached to their backpacks,
debussed left and right; standing stiffy to
attention. I was informed they were waiting
for the "Inspector".
Neat in a doctor's white coat, thick
Brylcreemed hair swept back off his
forehead, the "Inspector" arrived, clipboard
and pen ready. The sun glinted off his steel-
rimmed glasses as he fred questions at
me: Was I aware of the consequences of
complaining of mosquito infestation to the
Board? was one question. "Did my landlord
know I had complained?" was another.
He then started his inspection, using a
thing like a turkey baster, delicately dipping
the tip everywhere he thought mosquito
larvae lurked, sucking up droplets of
water and squinting carefully against the
light to analyse his discovery. Weed-type
plants had taken root in the roof gutters,
and he stiffy declared this a major source
of mosquito breeding. Almost as an
afterthought he casually mentioned it was
my landlord's responsibility to clean the
gutters, and he would be fned accordingly.
At least that explained the one question.
Then it was the neighbor's turn. Aha! Next
door had magnifcent, carefully tended,
beautifully hung and laid out, rows of orchid
baskets. (Our neighbourly friendship was
just about to progress to the stage where I
hoped he might bestow us one of his prized
blooms). Alas, the Inspector declared
these to be totally infested with breeding
mosquitoes. The entire display would have
to go, and the owner was fned $500. End
of friendship.
I relate this tale not as bureaucracy
going mad over health & safety, but as
the single-mindedness of a program that
was designed to work. And, in Singapore,
work it does. My ex-landlord will never
again allow his gutters to be clogged and
the unfortunate neighbour of the orchids
probably has decided sunfowers are a
safer (and cheaper) option. And, today,
there are virtually no mosquitoes in
Singapore.
Here at the Coast, as soon as we have
rain, the mozzies come out and home in
on me. They drive me mad. Never mind
the huge variety of dreadful and loathsome
diseases the winged horrors convey, just
one zap on the ankle will have me itching
like mad.
Vipingo Ridge, these days, is pretty well
a massive construction site, so it's very
diffcult to eliminate the pools and mud
areas where they breed...but as shown in
Singapore it is possible. Crumpled plastic
holds miniscule water droplets, suffcient to
hatch mosquito eggs, as do the thousands
of discarded bottles that litter the roadside.
There is so much garbage lying in full public
view here along the Coast that a preggers
mama mozzie would have no problem
choosing a suitable nursery for her deadly
brood. What many Coast people overlook
is the plethora of coconut half-shells that
litter everywhere, ideal harbours for the
mosquito.
Common sense and practical measures
around the house can do wonders in
cutting down the number of mosquitoes.
You'll never get rid of them all. A hungry
female anopheles thinks nothing of fying
up to 10 kms in one night to sup your
blood in exchange for a nice little package
of single-cell malaria or dengue fever
plasmodium.
It's all very well for folks like the Gates
Foundation to spend billions fnding a cure
for the malaria that kills over 3,000 African
children per day, but surely the money
would be better spent on preventing
malaria? What are needed are programs
to educate and eliminate the mountains
of plastic rubbish outside each and every
village here in Kenya. Also someone has to
show the practical steps; such as properly
draining wetlands, layering Styrofoam
balls into open toilets, closing off village
taps and ensuring any run-off is properly
cleared, using treated mosquito nets and
setting simple mozzie-traps. I'll show them
how.
Mosquitoes aside, we have missed out on
much-needed rain here at Vipingo over
the Festive Season. The golf course is still
superb but the dam could certainly do with
a top-up.
Nevertheless, Vipingo Ridge has shown
it is becoming the Number One vacation
destination along the Coast. Over the
season, all available accommodation was
booked; the golf course was well utilised,
while the private beach was packed with
families. Vipingo laid on its own helicopter
for quick trips to Mombasa's Moi Airport,
Malindi and even Lamu, as well as an
executive-seating aircraft for daily fights to
Nairobi's Wilson Airport - long may that last.
There is nothing worse, in my book, than
the awful commute to Mombasa Airport,
only to be faced with Nairobi's horrendous
traffc from JKIA to wherever!